On April 27, members of the St. Pete community will meet at the Center for Health Equity to honor and reflect on the achievements of the Courageous 12. Some guests at the program will include Mr. Leon Jackson, St. Petersburg Police Chief Anthony Holloway, and former St. Petersburg Police Chief Goliath Davis. The program, Courageous 12: A Legacy of Equity, will reflect on the achievements of those historic Black officers and address how racial equity in policing has progressed over the last 30 years.
The Courageous 12 and the St. Pete Community
In the 1960s, the St. Petersburg Police Department mirrored the segregation of the city. Black officers had no authority to arrest white citizens or patrol white areas of the city. On May 11, 1965, after appealing to the chief of the St. Petersburg Police Department on multiple occasions, 12 of the city’s 15 black police officers filed a discrimination lawsuit to gain the full rights and authority of their white counterparts. They chose to move forward with the decision, even though they knew it could cost them their livelihoods.
“The efforts of Mr. Jackson and the other members of the Courageous 12 advanced equity not just in St. Petersburg but also served as an inspiration for police officers around the nation,” shared Reverend Kenneth Irby, Board of Trustees, Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg. “It is an honor and a privilege to sit with Mr. Jackson, former Police Chief Goliath Davis and current Police Chief Anthony Holloway, to discuss the history of racial equity in policing and where we are today.”
Read more: Hidden History: The Courageous 12
“It was not an easy choice, but we 12 Black police officers were standing up for what we believed in. We weren’t against anyone personally, we were standing up and challenging racism,” said Leon Jackson, the sole surviving member of St. Petersburg’s Courageous 12. “There is no doubt our actions as the Courageous 12 helped Black officers reach many goals that were once considered unattainable.”
The event at the Center for Health Equity starts at 5:30 p.m. and will introduce the story of the Courageous 12, engage featured guests in a panel discussion, honor Mr. Jackson and the families of the other Courageous 12 members, and allow time for connection among the community.
